Tuesday, September 20, 2011

It is an Honor and with Great Pleasure to Interview Author NATALY RUBINSTEIN, Five Star Publications Author. Thank you Kindly for Today's Interview. I wish you much Success.

~~~AUTHOR INTERVIEW~~~

What inspires you to write?

Helping others inspires me to write. I'm a very visual person, and what I see becomes a snap-shot that later I go back and explore. Some people use music, others use paint, some use clay, and others use a pen. For me, writing is my artistic expression. I've always had a knack for explaining things best on paper, because for me, words are so descriptive, and powerful. I must have been one of the few children, who actually looked forward to writing reports, and once I got to college, I was in seventh heaven. The more paper assignments, the better, and I looked forward to the time I could spend on my assignments.

Who is your favorite author?

I don't have a favorite author. During different periods of my life, I have been drawn to a variety of authors. Like a kid who goes through food phases, once I like a book, I will read everything that they wrote. I went through my Agatha Christie stage; Stephen King; Dean Koontz; Charles Dickens; Jane Austin; Harold Robbins; J.R. Tolkien; Kurt Vonnegut; Joyce Carol Oats; Satire; Voltaire; and Kafka.

Did you enjoy reading as a child?

I started reading at an early age, and have been an avid reader ever since. When I read a story, it's as if the words jump off the page, and the story unfolds in my mind. I get so engrossed in the book that I'm reading, that I'm oblivious to what is happening around me. It's not unusual for me to stay up all night, and keep telling myself that I'll just read one more page, and then before I know it, the sun is rising. Here's a true story, I was reading Jane Eyre in front of the fireplace, and was at the part, where the estate was on fire. As Jane is describing the smoke and flames, my dog started tugging on my shirt, and yapping like crazy. It turns out that my house was filled with smoke from the fireplace, and a neighbor had called the fire department, who were banging on the door! Needless to say, it was quite embarrassing. My family found it hysterical, but annoying, because whenever I have a book in my hand, nothing gets done. I have missed whole days, because of good books. I read a book a week.

How important is a book cover?

I personally like plain covers. Growing-up, most of the books in my home did not have jacket covers, so I'm partial to a naked book. Covers can be deceiving. One of my favorite books was 'THE FORSYTH SAGA' which came in a plain blue-and-white cover. The cover is like the pretty face with make-up that draws you in, but there's no substance, no-matter how great the cover, it won't keep you engrossed.

Do you have current work in progress?

I am working on my dissertation for my PH.D, which is on dementia and sexuality. There is definitely a book in the works.

Monday, September 19, 2011

It is an Honor and with Great Pleasure to Interview Author KIM MALCHUK today. Thank you for your time Kim, and I wish you much Success.

Five Star Publications Author of: "TASTING RAIN"

Genre: Non-fiction/Memoir/Inspirational

~~~AUTHOR INTERVIEW~~~

What inspires you to write?

At a very early age, I developed the skill of observation. Over the years, I have honed and perfected this talent. I'm very grateful for it, because I am completely fascinated with observing people, their actions and most of all, their emotional behavior. Don't get me wrong. I don't actually stalk people. However, I do watch discreetly, and listen carefully to how people conduct themselves in their everyday life. I guess you could say that I have taken 'people watching' to a literary level.

I am inspired to write about life, because it is so beautifully complex, and yet so simple. There is a global shift of more people wanting, searching and discovering the secret to living the life of their dreams. I am passionate to share with readers, who are seeking for that secret, by writing about real-life experiences, and examples to prove there really is no secret after all.

People are intrigued to read about real-life situations from an ordinary person, who is just like them, because they can relate. Life situations may differ from person-to-person, but in the end what connects all of us together, is our emotions. I want my writing to be free-flowing, easy to understand, light-hearted, and thought-provoking. At the conclusion of my writings, my hope is that the reader will walk away, and discover that the secret to living the life of their dreams has always been lying within themselves.

Who is your favorite author?

I love to read authors, genre does not matter, who have the ability to grab my interest within the first few pages, and keep me intrigued right to the end. I know that I have found a new favorite, when either I cannot put the book down, I find myself reading until the wee hours of the morning, or when I reach the final page. I find myself wanting more. The authors that immediately come to mind are: Harper Lee, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRDS;Margaret Mitchell, GONE WITH THE WIND; Khaled Hosseini, THE KITE RUNNER; Khaled Hosseini, A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS; William P. Young, THE SHACK; Neale Donald Walsch, CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD; Gail Tsukiyama, THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS; John Grogan, MARLEY & ME; Alex Cord, A FEATHER IN THE RAIN; Beth Pattillo, JANE AUSTEN RUINED MY LIFE

Did you enjoy reading as a child?

With all honesty, I was not an avid reader as a child, or teenager. The gift of reading came to me late in life, but when it finally arrived, I became a ferocious reader. I wanted to make up for lost time, so I turned to some of the classics by authors such as: Austen; Twain; Shelley; Alcott; and my all time favorite book 'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, by Harper Lee. To break away from the classics, I dabbled into many different genres such as: autobiographies; history, suspense; and legal thrillers.

If you were to write in a different genre, what would it be?

Fiction, hands down! I am completely amazed at the dedication, talent, and creativity that fictional authors are able to bring to the pages for our personal enjoyment. It takes an incredible amount of imagination to come up with everything from a simple idea they had hovering in the back of their minds. Characters, (Main and supporting);settings;time;location;dialogue;plot; and then on top of all that, they need to create a story that will capture the reader's interest from beginning to end. When I think of the brilliance of J.K. Rowling and the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter series,well, let's just say, that she's a genius! I am in complete awe of her wildly, fantastic and unparalleled talent as one of the finest fictional writers this world has ever read, and now, has ever seen in movie theatres all around the globe.

Do you have current work in progress?

I have an outline for my next book, and premature thoughts for another. I have committed to start the writing process within the next month. 'TASTING RAIN' has been re-released, second edition, into the U.S. market as of June, 2011. As you can imagine and know from your own personal experience, releasing a book is a very small part of the entire book process. There is all the marketing; advertising; interviews; distribution; etc. This is all crucial to the success of getting exposure for any book.

Since partnering with Linda Radke, President of Five Star Publications and her incredibly talented team in early 2011, I am looking forward to the opportunities ahead with great anticipation as 'TASTING RAIN' soars to new heights. With an aggressive marketing plan in place, the skies definitely the limit, so why stop there?

There is a basic desire to tell an interesting story, and do something new and different. I always use a sense of humor with strong details to make you think, and see the events like someone living at that time and place. The language used speaks of a different era. The reader gets the sense of being at a certain event in the past. I stay away from profanity in my work, because often it is used, and weakens the story. Your main audience suffers in the process. 'THE FAMILIAR' is my seventh book. It came about when I was picking up trash, after a big storm. We live in the country, so there was a great deal of trash blown into one of our fields. I went to pick up the trash, and a bobcat jumped out of a cedar tree. I dropped the trash, and he took the trash, then ran off with it. It scared me so much, that it was exciting. I kept thinking about it, and a story came to mind, over a period of a few months.

Who is your favorite author?

Robin Renee Ray is my favorite author at the present time. Sue Dent is a very close second.

Did you enjoy reading as a child?

Yes. We went to the library to read often. We spent every summer, so that we could read to improve our reading skills, be better informed, and cover material that school often glossed over. I always loved colorful stories, and books on science, and history.

If you were to write in a different genre, what would it be?

Historical Fiction has been my favorite genre in the past. My other books deal with this premise. It was often too confining, trying to keep to a certain timeline. Even when I write a fictional story, I try to keep with actual factual details, and events to make the story more interesting for the reader. The storyteller is often fictional, but the details are real characters, and historical events. 'THE FAMILIAR' is my first Gothic horror tale. The idea has been in my mind for about ten years.

Do you have current work in progress?

Yes. A new work is being developed as we speak. The drawings come first, then the stories unfold around the artwork. Drawings give a story details about the way I see it in my imagination. I write down notes that explain my notions about the premise, almost like a storyboard for a movie.

Friday, September 16, 2011

It is with Great Pleasure and an Honor to Interview Author WAYNE ZURL. Thank you for Today's Interview. I wish you much Success.

Author of: "A NEW PROSPECT: City Limit"

Genre: Police Mystery

~~~AUTHOR INTERVIEW~~~

What inspires you to write?

That's a difficult question, because I really don't know what triggers an inspiration. Much of what I write is based on memory, rather than imagination. After twenty busy years with a major Police Department, I've tucked away a few good war stories. Sometimes, it happens when I wake up at 3:30 in the morning, or perhaps when I'm doing seventy on the Interstate. I'll remember something that happened thirty years ago, and how it might make an interesting story by embellishing it, fictionalizing everything, and transplanting it from New York to Tennessee and handing it off to Chief Sam Jenkins of the Prospect Police Department to deal with. Twisting Jack Webb's weekly comment from the ending of DRAGNET, I change the names to protect the guilty, the innocent rarely sue you in civil court for mentioning them.

Did you have favorite books as a child?

My mother began reading to me, long before I could write my name. I picked up the task as soon as I could. I remember reading biographies on David Crockett, Daniel Boone, Robert Rogers, and many other historical characters. Around that time, WW2 had just ended, and Korea was in the initial stages. I bought war comics faithfully. I also used my weekly allowance to purchase Classics Illustrated comics, which led me to read books like LAST OF THE MOHICANS, THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK, ROBIN HOOD and others. One of my favorite memories comes from reading the quarterly Uncle Scrooge McDuck comics. They were a real step above the typical children's pulp. The closest I can come with a description is 'Steam Punk' of the 1950s.

If you were to write in a different genre, what would it be?

With anything I wrote, I'd want to establish credibility through having done extensive research, or personal experience. So, I'd narrow it down to historical fiction in three areas: The Colonial American Era, specifically, The French and Indian War of 1754 to 1763. I've done the research on that. I wasn't alive then. The American Old West, or 20th century military fiction.

I could pull off any of those, and would enjoy the writing. Recently, I wrote a short story for a contest that I never entered, because I drastically exceeded the word limit. They wanted something on time travel. I'm not a science-fiction guy, but I satisfied my need to write a Western with a story set in 1896 New Mexico, using the same characters from the Sam Jenkins mysteries. I loved the results, and posted it to the diary section of my website. I called it 'ANOTHER PROSPECT.'

Do you have current work in progress?

I have three things going at present. I just signed a contract to publish my second full-length novel, another Sam Jenkins mystery called 'A LEPRECHAUN'S LAMENT.' It's based on the most bizarre case I ever saw, something I supervised in the mid-1980s. It deals with investigating a man with no past. I hope the readers believe it.

Then, I just submitted a novelette to Mind Wings Audio, who has been producing my audio books, and simultaneously publishing them as eBooks. This one is called 'THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN BANK JOB.' Jenkins agrees to reopen a forty-three year old case at the request of a beautiful treasury agent. He's a sucker for the ladies.

And lastly, I'll be making final revisions on a novel called 'HEROES AND LOVERS.' Another story from Prospect Police Department.

In your opinion, how important is a book cover?

I think a book cover is an author's way of cashing in, or losing the benefits of the halo effect. People are at first attracted to something, or someone by a visual stimulation.

I don't care whether it's by a person, an automobile, or an appetizing meal. If it looks good, the average person wants to find out more about it. Get a good-looking book jacket, and chances are a shopper will pick it up and read the summary, or the endorsements on the back. As with most things, simplicity is the key. A book store is not an art gallery, where people take time to savor an image. You're in competition with hundreds of other books to capture the attention of a looker. The cover should be a bold grabber that immediately says something. A top-notch cover artist is priceless to authors, and publishers. They start the ball rolling in the potential sale situation.